PAINESVILLE, Ohio — One person is now recovering at a local hospital after they were injured inside an auto shop in Painesville Township that blew up early Friday afternoon, according to Painesville Township officials.
Painesville Township fire spokesperson Lt. Chad Tekavic said calls came in around 2:40 p.m. of flames blowing about 30 feet high through the roof of the building located in the 1500 block of North Ridge Road.
Due to the amount of fuel inside, Tekavic said the massive fire caused quite a few explosions, so multiple crews responded to the scene to evacuate everyone inside and to put out the blaze.
“We rely incredibly on our neighboring departments. We’re very thankful,” said Tekavic. “With the amount of fuel that was inside the building, it really helped with everyone out here helping out considering the temperature today as well. We had multiple explosions throughout the incident as well.”
Tekavic said the fire is now under control, and there isn’t any harm to the community.
But he said Bullet Recovery, a private property impound company, is facing a significant loss since about a dozen vehicles were inside, and the rest of the vehicles parked outside now have water damage.
“The fire was massive, and we had to use numerous hydrants and in doing so we were maxed out on the water apparatus, so when we were extinguishing the flames, we had every truck max capacity and putting as much water as we could on the structure,” said Tekavic.
The fire remains under investigation as investigators determine its cause.
Photos showed large amounts of smoke coming from the building that could be seen from miles away.
News 5 took photos of the scene of the damage done to the building:
More photos from Painesville Township Fire:
